Creatures are Easier
by RitaRebecca
Summary: The results of a rough hunt, a multi state fight, and a drive to protect ends up exploding at Bobby's. A flashback explains some of the history.


_Not canon, I am taking liberties with characters, locations, and certain timelines. For an introduction, check out Back to Lawrence and Gotta Sleep Sometime._

Ellen and Bobby were sitting on the porch steps catching up on some details of a haunting when John Winchester and company pulled up to the Winchester's were coming in hot.

John was hollering out the window before he even stopped the truck,"Damn it, Dean! I didn't give you the Impala to wreck it. You pull that again and you'll be lucky to be riding in the back of the truck!"

Dean's face was dark and angry. Sam spilled out of the car clearly continuing the argument that had been going on already. John and Katie got out of the truck and she slammed the door almost hard enough to break the glass.

"Break that window, and you'll be sorry." John raged at his youngest, "I'm not going to repeat myself again and we aren't going to argue about this anymore. I'm done with it!" This was clearly the end of a fight that they had been having in the truck.

Ellen and Bobby exchanged a glance and raised eyebrows. John started tossing bags out of the truck bed without looking back. "Take those upstairs and stay there! I don't' want to see any of you!" He thundered.

The kids grabbed the bags and ran past Bobby and Ellen without a hello. They were muttering as much as they thought they could get away with behind John's back. The door slammed shut and John swore loudly, but stayed put.

"John Winchester, what the hell is going on?" Ellen demanded.

John deflated visibly in front of his friends. They had been through hell together. They knew how to approach an angry Winchester.

"Ellen. Bobby. Sorry about this….." He trailed off waiving toward the house,"They have been miserable since Mississippi, all three of them. I wasn't sure all of us would make it here in one piece. They boys have been at each other and Katie.."

Bobby shot John a look,"Simmer down. What about Katie? She sure looked mad at you."

"She's thirteen. Might not see fourteen at this rate." He grumbled.

Ellen laughed, "And you thought Sam was hard. Girls, John. Whole different creatures all together."

"Creatures are easier."

"Might have to agree with you on that one."

Bobby made for the door as Ellen started to talk John down. Let her, he thought, she's better at it. He mounted the stairs to the second floor. The door to the room Sam and Dean shared was cracked open. Dean was on his back on the first bed with headphones on. Sam was face first in a book. Bobby decided to let them be a while longer. Katie was his first stop. All those times John left her behind, Bobby cleaned up after him with Katie.

He knocked softly before opening her door. Unlike her brothers, Katie wasn't sitting and she wasn't calm. She leaning against the window frame with both hands and she was practically vibrating.

"Katie girl?"

"Bobby, I hate him." She said darkly staring out the window.

Bobby looked her over critically,"You might right now. Follow me."

She stood there staring at him,"I'm not talking to him."

"I'm not asking you to. I said follow me. Not a request." Bobby said walking out the door.

She wasn't angry at him. Bobby took her side a lot with her dad, even Sam and Dean. She thumped her hand on the window frame and followed. She expected him to stop in the kitchen for the usual combination of lecture and lemonade, but he kept right on going out the back door and across the yard. He paused at the shed for a minute and came out with goggles and a sledge hammer. It was smaller than the one that he used with Dean last summer when they took down some of the old outbuildings. She tried asking him where they were going. He shook his head and kept walking, only stopping when he reached an area in the salvage yard overloaded with junkers.

He turned and looked her in the eye. "I don't know what happened, but I do know you need to let it out."

"Bobby, I -"

"I'm not finished." He said sharply surprising her, "I don't expect you to be in a talking mood. Two rules. One, keep the goggles on. Two, you only use this on glass." He said shoving the goggles and sledge hammer at her.

Katie looked at him dumbly.

"These cars are slated to be crushed. Swing until you get this out of your system. Come back when you're done." He turned to walk away, "Keep the goggles on."

She watched the old hunter walk back toward the house. Anger still vibrated in her just below the surface. She strapped on the goggles and hefted the sledge. She walked slowly to the side of an old Honda. One, two, SMASH! The drivers window exploded. She breathed heavily and stepped forward. SMASH! The rear window burst. Katie stopped for a minute to strip off her shirt exposing a tank top. Maybe her dad did something right, most girls her age weren't strong enough to do this.

Katie poured out her anger, hurt, and frustration on window after window. Glass erupted, sheets spidering and rupturing. Sweat rolled down her back and covered her face. Her muscles were screaming with each swing.

Bobby stood watching a ways off, arms folded and face set. Doors opened behind him after the second swing. John walked quickly past him, but Bobby grabbed him, stopping him short.

"Leave it be, John." He said in a low growl.

"Bobby, what the hell?" Dean and Sam appeared behind him.

"I don't know what the hell's the matter with you idjits, but it ends. Now. I'm not having it. What ever got her all wound up", He pointed angrily at Katie's whirling, sweating, violent tantrum, " is done if I have to throw all three of you out. You get me?"

"Shit, Bobby." John sank back against the picnic table.

"I mean it, John."

"I know. I know."

The three Winchester's stood watching Katie raging hard for a few more minutes. It felt like hours. Eventually, her shoulders dropped and the sledge clattered to the ground. She pulled off the goggles and dropped those too. She leaned heavily against the shell of a car wiping her face.

Bobby stepped toward her and felt movement behind him, "No! You stay. Leave it to me."

He made his way back to the ring of junkers. Slowly, he sidled up next to her. When she looked at him this time, her face was tired and open and sad. She flung herself at him. The vibrating anger was replaced by tears.

"Alright. You're alright." He said rubbing her back, "Just breathe. Easy now."

"Bobby." She gasped.

"Deep breaths."

When she finally stopped crying, she pulled away wiping at her face with her palms. Dirt mixed with sweat and a little blood from all the flying glass. Bobby couldn't help thinking of a time a few years back when he watched Katie run from a wild rage to aching sadness.

_(flashback)_

Katie was ten years old. They had been on the road for months moving constantly. John was running hard, pushing the boys. He was sure he had a lead on the yellow eyed demon. He was obsessed.

He had called Bobby in the middle of the night. There was a solid lead. He needed to leave Katie with Bobby. They had to move fast.

They arrived before the sun. Bobby heard the Impala roaring down the driveway and screeching to a halt. They were all out of the car before he got the door.

John was at the trunk pulling Katie's duffel out. She was screaming. It was awful. Sam was holding onto her trying to talk to her. Dean was going to John, head down reaching for her bag.

Dean, the bag over his shoulder, head down, pulled his screaming sister away from Sam. He half dragged, half carried her up the stairs to the house. Bobby heard him whispering over and over - sorry- be back soon.

Sam stood there face etched with hurt. He looked angrily at his father. John slammed the trunk and yelled for Sam to get in the damn car. It was clear Sam wanted to argue and John slammed both hands on the trunk yelling. Sam shot Bobby a look and disappeared into the back of the car.

John shouted for Dean. He came toward Bobby. He had to go, he was sorry, Bobby. She'd understand later. He couldn't risk bringing her along. He'd call, not sure when.

Dean came through the door forcing it shut. Telling Katie to stay where she was. She had never stopped screaming. Dean squeezed Bobby's shoulder. Take care of her, Bobby. He dropped his head again and got in the car.

John shouted he loved her. Be good. We'll call. They were gone and Katie hadn't stopped screaming. She burst through the door and ran after the car. She stopped. Grabbed anything she could reach and threw. Hubcaps, tire irons, chunks of metal flew. By the time Bobby reached her, Katie had dropped to the dirt and the screaming turned to sobs.

Bobby scooped her up. She slumped against him, there was no fight left in her. He carried her into the bathroom setting her down on the toilet lid. He ran warm water on a washcloth and wiped her face and hands. She let him. The sobs gave way to hiccups and quiet tears. He picked her up again and carried her to the room that was hers whenever she stayed there. He talked to her quietly the whole time narrating their travels. They reached the bedroom. Bobby laid her down on top of the covers and pulled off her shoes before covering her with an afghan. He sat in the chair by the bed. She was safe. It was ok. He wouldn't leave.

She latched onto him. Head in his lap, body on the bed. They stayed like that. She finally fell asleep after seven. He sat there dozing until she woke up. She was breaking his heart.

He'd get the full story over breakfast. He'd do his best to keep her busy and he'd fail miserably. She'd wait for the phone to right for three days. He swore to himself that John Winchester would pay for this. He'd see to it.

_(present)_

History repeated itself some, but this time she stayed on her feet. She folded in against him and he led her up to the bathroom, sitting her down on the same toilet lid to clean her up.

"So, do you want to tell me what's going on?" He asked facing away from her at the sink.

"No."

"Let me rephrase that. Tell me what's going on." It was not up for debate.

"I'm tired, Bobby." She said letting her head drop.

"I expect you are. Still. I want to hear from you." He knelt down in front of her and inspected her face and arms. There were small shards of glass he needed to pull out before cleaning her up.

"He hates me."

"You're dad?"

"I can't do anything right. It's never good enough."

"Where'd you get that idea? Did he tell you that?"

"We were in Louisiana. Sam and Dean split off, salt and burn in Baton Rouge. Dad went after a rawhead on his own. He had to work fast. I knew what to do, Bobby. I've been researching with Sam, training. I'm good."

Bobby could see where this was going.

"He told me to wait in the car. Like a kid. I knew I could help. He's so stubborn. It was taking forever. I heard screaming, glass breaking. Dad was screaming. He didn't have any backup."

"And you went in?"

"Yeah."

"Are you stupid, girl?"

"Bobby!"

"You think your daddy can't handle one rawhead?" He stared her down hard.

"It sounded so bad. I didn't think-"

"I'll bet you didn't. And your daddy let you have it after he was done with that rawhead."

"Like a kid." She said miserably.

Bobby stood and rinsed the washcloth. "Can't say I blame him too much, kiddo. You can't rush into a fight unprepared. If you were really ready, you'd know that!"

Katie looked at her feet, "He yelled for two states. He's never going to trust me to do anything again except clean gear."

Bobby thought for just a minute that thirteen year old girls shouldn't be rushing out to fight monsters.

"He'll trust you. You think your brothers had it easy at your age? They didn't."

"I know."

"You're a lot like your dad, you know."

"I'm not!" She started to protest.

"Stubborn, always throwing yourself out there thinking you know what to do. Sticking up for people in need. Taking care of people. It's not so bad to have some of him in you. Go on now. Go lay down. I'll get you for dinner later."

"Bobby, I-"

"Go. I'm going to have few words with those idjits downstairs."


End file.
